These Moments
by PLLHalebSpoby
Summary: "What we had was real." The words that Toby Cavanaugh has been wanting to say ever since that horrific night in her kitchen. Four, possibly five-shot story centering on their first moments and night back together, as well as some moments that were left unseen.
1. Chapter 1

Day and night; night into day, day into night. Weeks become months, then it slows becomes repetitive in its sluggishness and its endless cycle. Things were easier, more bearable when he still had _her. _Could still feel the warmth of her skin against his. It was better when he could still have the pleasure of hearing her raspy laugh when they were together, and see the way her gorgeous dark brown eyes peered into his aqua-beautiful ones. Expressing the love she felt for him without absolutely any words needed.

But not anymore.

He knew he needed to tell her about his plan; Find some way to clue her in on what he was doing. But the risk of repercussions was always too great. The risk of Red Coat finding out was always on the forefront of his mind, and he knew that it wouldn't only be his head on a spit, but hers as well.

"Is this what you're looking for?"

It had all been a setup from the beginning. Mona, ripping a hole in his pocket so the key dropped out, and now this. His heart couldn't have been more pained, more broken if someone had run it over with a bulldozer. The slap she delivered to his face hurt, he was sure, but it was nothing compared to how disgusted and ashamed he felt in that moment- watching as she fought back the tears that were barely being kept at bay.

That had been months ago. But that night still ran through his head like the worst possible headache. Each time he closed his eyes, he saw the vision of her betrayed, disbelieving face and saw her sniffling back the tears that she was trying valiantly to hold in.

The single ___beep _his cell phone made, made him momentarily turn his thoughts away from Spencer, (even though she was never far from his mind), and look at his phone. There was only one message highlighted and it was blocked: ___We have to talk. Meet me at Marlene's Diner at 9._

Mona, of course. Who else would it be? Unless she had a new recruit she wanted him to meet. Lately, he had been avoiding Mona as much as humanly possible; ever since she had called him and informed him of his apparent death. All he could remember thinking in that moment was that he was glad there was miles between them, otherwise he was sure he would have strangled her for playing such a cruel joke on Spencer.

He checked his watch, sighing as he realized the time to meet Mona (or her newest victim), was dawning closer. He shrugged on one of the only good pair of jeans he had and his jacket. He avoided wearing the disgusting black hoodie whenever possible, even though Mona seemed to relish wearing it.

The motel he was staying at was far from Rosewood, tucked neatly a little ways into Philly in one of their backwoods areas. It was easier to avoid Mona when she didn't ___expect __ him _to leave, when she expected him to play the dutiful role of lapdog until Red Coat decided the team could trust him more.

When he pulled up alongside the curb at Marlene's Diner and walked in, he automatically glanced over at the friendly waitress. He had known her for a few months now and whenever he would come in, she would gift him with her famous lemon pie. Tonight was no different as she smiled over at him, the smell of baking dinners and deserts wafting through the near-empty establishment.

"You can seat yourself, pretty eyes."

She liked that nickname apparently, since she had been using it ever since he had first cut a path through her diner. The nod he served was automatic as he immediately made his way to the back of the place where an all too familiar black hooded figure sat hunched over, sifting through pictures he or she had taken on their cell phone.

"Hanna got the job," he said.

"I know."

His head snapped up to the hidden face so fast he was surprised he didn't break something. He would know that voice anywhere. In his sleep, in his craziest and most outlandish dreams, he would recognize that voice. The voice of the girl that he adored and had never stopped loving, no matter what she thought to the contrary or what the rest of the world thought.

"Spencer," he gasped softly, finally seeing her face when she lifted her head up. It was surreal, as if he was walking through a bizarre dream, to see her dressed in those clothes, staring up at him with mingled confusion and fury in her face.

"When I was in Radley, Mona told me that you were alive. I wanted to believe her but until now...back in the woods? Was that you? Were you a part of it?"

"Mona told me after."

And he knew why, too. She didn't trust him enough to fill him in on the big plans. She only involved him in the minor things, the things that weren't harmful to the girls. Even though he had gone out of his way to convince her that Spencer meant nothing to him, even though those horrible words couldn't be further from the truth.

"And you let me believe that you were _dead_?"

His heart clenched like it was being squeezed by a vice when he heard the break in her voice, and saw her eyes filling with tears of deepest hurt and betrayal.

"Everything I've done...so I could protect you."

He had joined with the truest of intentions of ending it, of finding out who Red Coat was and why he or she was tormenting his friends and the woman he loved. He figured that if he played his part long enough, someone in that group would confide in him about who was calling the shots and who they were all taking their orders from.

All he had wanted was to protect her and end the nightmare she was going through, but instead he had unwittingly caused some of her hardest nights. He had caused some of the saddest tears she had shed and had completely destroyed the person she once was, and probably never would be again.

"I want to believe that," she said quietly, allowing herself to glance up at his stricken face.

"Let me take you somewhere safe." He wanted to right the wrong he had done. The need to protect her was as overpowering now as it was months ago when he joined the team. "Does Mona know you're here?" He lowered his voice imperceptibly in case Mona had one of her many spies in the diner, listening to every word they spoke.

"No." Her voice was hardened, suspicious as she regarded him under thick, heavily made up eyelashes. "She told me you would be there Friday, that you would be my reward for delivering the girls."

"How did you find me?"

He had a million questions, but a thousand more concerns.

"She left me alone in her lair. I kidnapped a seven-year-old. I'm the reason that Aria and Ezra broke up, so I've earned her trust." He shook his head, feeling his heart fill with barely suppressed shame and guilt. _This never would have happened_, he told himself, _had he been honest with her from the beginning_

It hurt, seeing her dressed like that, but what crushed him was hearing all the things she had done to prove to Mona she was on her side. It was Aria, her best friend, the one person in the world who was like a sister to her, and she had broken up their relationship. He couldn't think of anything sadder and more ___wrong _if he tried.

"It's not safe for you to be here."

"I stopped worrying about me a long time ago."

"What we had was ___real_. I've been pretending to work with Mona so that I could keep you safe. I ___need _you to believe me...and I need you to follow me."

If he could just get her out of Rosewood. They could come up with a plan of action, a plan that, together, they could trick Mona and maybe, if they were lucky, put an end to the nightmare that had plagued them for nearly three years.

He glanced at her once more, his eyes silently conveying his urgency and need to protect her. But he knew he couldn't waste anymore time there. He smoothly slid out of the booth, trying to ignore the doubt that was riddling his heart as he walked out into the cool night air. He had no idea if she would come with him or not, had no idea if they're relationship was salvageable or not.

* * *

"Hey."

He swallowed thickly as he turned in time to see her get into the front seat of his Toyota. His motorcycle was stashed behind one of the apartments Mona had used for their lair, he had ditched it in favor of a faster getaway vehicle.

"Hey." He gave her a slow, but uncertain smile as he climbed into the driver's side. ___So far so good_, he thought, bringing the car out onto the main road. "I didn't think you were going to come."

She scoffed softly as she adjusted her position in the car. "Yeah. For a second, I didn't think so, either." The sun setting off on the horizon cast a glow over the car and its occupants as Toby turned the sleek car onto the highway, the fastest way out of the hell-hole that was Rosewood.

"I have somewhere I can take you."

It wasn't much, certainly, but it was the only hideaway he had from Mona and her constant needs and attention. His knuckles were white against the steering wheel as he alternated between keeping his eye on the road and the other eye on the girl sitting shotgun.

"Don't worry," she chuckled once. "I'm not going to make a break for it."

"I wouldn't really blame you," he said quietly.

"Toby-" she sighed, as if she had lost the nerve to ask him whatever question she was about to ask him. "I need to know more, I need more answers."

"I'll tell you anything you want to know."

"How...long?"

She certainly wasn't starting with the easy questions. "Six months."

She was silent, then. He wondered what she was thinking, wished that he had window to peer into her soul, see what was keeping her so quiet. "How?"

"Mona. She...she came to me after the Fashion Show, and the things that she was saying...how spiteful and hateful she was being..." it still made him sick, thinking about the things she had said about the girls and the plans she had for them. "She told me that she recognized a partnership in me and that it would be the ultimate feat, making me fall in love with you and then dropping the ball."

The sky had long since darkened as their drive lasted, but the faint glow from the passing traffic lights, gave her silent tears away as clear as if it was crystal clear out. "Was any of it true?"

"None of it," he said, trying to inject as much sincerity in his tone as he could. "I went along with it because I knew I could gain her trust, and I did. But when she saw us, she became suspicious. That's when she loosened the bolts on the scaffolding to send me a message."

"What did you do...to help her?"

"She didn't trust me to do anything." It was both a blessing and a curse because he knew how tight of a microscope he was under. The wrong look, the wrong sentence and he knew his cover could have been blown entirely. "I was behind the scenes, mostly. I slashed Paige's tires and I...I ran Lucas off the road, I was the one that gave Emily that massage after Hanna's mom gave her the ticket to the spa."

"Is that all?"

Toby nodded. "She didn't trust me, neither did Red Coat."

"What did you do to help us?"

It was easier talking about that because he had no shame in doing that, had no shame in admitting the things he had done in secret to help them.

"The night Lyndon James attacked Emily, I called her and told her to get out. I was the one who sent Aria the text message when you were locked in the steam room."

"You..you did that?"

It was one of the few things Mona had clued him in on. He still remembered her gleeful, boisterous voice when she had called and told him that she had "hired someone" to lock her in that steam prison. She had taught him before how to manipulate phone numbers to make it appear as if they were coming from one person while really coming from another.

"Yes."

The silence that followed his confessions, was deafening but not nearly as painful as it might have been. They had always been able to enjoy silence, not really needing it to deepen their bond with each other.

"This is it," he said quietly, breaking them out of their forced silence as he pulled off the highway and into a little parking space with, "Ocean Pines Motel" printed in neon-purple and green on the sign out front.


	2. Chapter 2

Toby, truthfully, could not believe his degree of good fortune. He had never, not in a million years, expected to ever be reunited with Spencer in one piece, and he sure as hell never expected her to follow him so quickly, without the slightest hint of hesitation in her resplendent face.

The motel he had driven them to was his own idea of a safe haven, even though it was a temporary one; they always were. Sometimes he needed time away from Mona's constant nagging, and constant phone calls to check in on him, as if she expected him to one day ditch her and go back to the way things were.

The thought had crossed his mind more than once: Slip out when she least expected it, move catlike through the night like he had been taught, and if he was lucky, find Spencer and do what he wished he could have back in her kitchen. But his luck had run out, and the motel had been the only place where he had been allowed some small measure of tranquility, even though most of the time, the word was a foreign concept to him.

"Doesn't look like anybody lives here," Spencer remarked as she checked out her darkened surroundings, standing awkwardly in the center of the room while Toby had made a straight beeline for the mini-coffeemaker bar in the corner of the dim room. She had always liked her coffee smoldering, no creams or sugar, just straight coffee.

In truth, he knew he was distracting himself from facing more of her questions. The duration of their car ride had been spent in silence after he had given her the answers she had requested. In the past, her silence had usually signified that she was in deep thought over a matter, or was plotting her next course of action. Now, he didn't know how to perceive her silence as he carefully took the searing mug in his hands.

"I shuffle between a few motels. Mona doesn't know about this one."

He could feel, as clear as day, the warmth that inundated between their fingers when they briefly connected in the passing of the coffee mug. It had been so long since he had been granted the privilege of feeling her skin against his and how inviting and beautiful her touch always was.

He needed to sit down. The weight of everything that had happened in the last few hours was amassing onto his shoulders like the world rested on them. He perched himself on the bed end stool, clasping his hands in front of his face as he tried to squeeze the tiredness out of his eyes.

"And Red Coat?"

The one question she had neglected to ask during their session of twenty-questions back in the car. Red Coat, whoever she was, had remained an illusive, mysterious figure to him. It seemed she liked to keep her followers in a deep fog of confusion and frustration.

"The only thing I know about Red Coat is that she's in charge."

"I know."

He dared a glance at her from his seated position. Usually, their height differences weren't so pronounced, but from his point of view, she towered over him as she crossed her arms over her chest, a nonverbal sign of her discomfort or distrust, he wasn't sure. But either way, it still stung his heart to realize how much things had changed between them in the last few months, how much distance had been put between them both emotionally _and_ geographically.

"You still don't trust me."

It wasn't a question, more of an admittance to a fact that he had come to terms with. He knew that he had destroyed her trust in him, a trust that had been so beautifully built up for an entire year, and by his own actions, he had severed it.

"Look," she began, finally facing him. Her tone harsh but at the same time, showcasing the amount of pain she had been put through by his hand, and nothing could have hurt worse for him. "I understand why you've been helping Mona. I made the same decision. But if I saw you hurting, the way that I know that you saw me...?"

His shoulders slumped in shame and in complete, monumental disgust as he bowed his head, pinching his temple between two fingers, fighting a losing battle to keep the tears he had been suppressing at bay. He wasn't blind or clueless, he knew the effect his choices he had made, had had on Spencer, but hearing those words come out of her mouth and the break in her voice when she said them, he finally _truly _understood how much she had gone through in his absence, and it all had been because of him.

"Toby..."

When he finally thought that he was composed enough to look into her face again, he nearly came undone again when he saw her beautiful brown eyes filling with the same tears that he was fighting against. When he looked at her, saw the walls she had built around herself, fall away, he saw the unraveling that Mona had done, saw every crack she had ever made in Spencer's wall.

He looked away again, not because he couldn't look at her, but because he couldn't stand to see the evidence of what he had done to her. He truly had no idea it would go that far, that Mona's scheming would send the only woman he had ever loved, straight into Red Coat's outstretched arms, and break her down completely in the process.

"Hey," she said softly, kneeling down in front of him, placing both of her palms on his face as she used them to wipe the accumulated tears away. This wasn't right—she shouldn't be wiping _his _tears away. He should be wiping _hers _away, but the beauty of their relationship had always been the sheer fact that they had always been able to communicate without any words needed to filter through any lulls in the conversation, and this time was no different as she looked into his tortured indigo eyes, her own circles overflowing with waterworks as she lovingly placed her palms on his cheeks.

Whatever the reason, he was being given a second chance, and there was no way he would ever tarnish something so unreal and beautiful as he wound his arms around her waist, gently pulling her closer against him. He had missed this so incredibly much, had missed holding her in his arms, whispering sweet nothing into her ear.

For the first time in months as their lips connected, he felt _peace_. It wasn't perfect, far from it, but he had been granted a brief acquittal from the overpowering feelings of shame, and he was going to take it, especially when it came like it was.

He had no idea how long they stayed connected like that, but eventually she broke their kiss, looking at him as a watery smile graced her mouth. "I wasn't expecting that," she murmured softly, reaching down and squeezing his hand.

Toby shook his head, still in awe of the woman kneeling in front of him. "No," he said, his voice thick. "Neither was I." He had no idea where they were supposed to go from there, he had no idea what plans Red Coat would have for them or to what lengths she would go to make them prove their loyalty, but he knew as long as he had Spencer next to him, they could survive through the harshest currents.

"I have to change," she said, breaking out of the silence that had plagued her. Even though the words were unspoken, Toby knew she didn't want to wear the A uniform any longer than strictly necessary.

Without saying a word, Toby got up from his seated position and smoothly crossed over to the other side of the room, sorting through a simple paper bag of his meager belongings for what he was looking for.

"Top or bottom?" He said, holding up a simple gray button up t-shirt and a pair of light gray sweats.

She smiled coyly as she pointed with one finger at the shirt he was holding up. He grinned, it felt strange on his mouth, as he tossed her the requested shirt.

"I'm sorry, I keep stealing your shirts," she smiled as she slowly made her way into the one tiny bathroom in the room.

"You look better in them than I do. Give me your phone."

She arched one eyebrow curiously as she dug around in her pocket for her cell phone. "Why?" she asked as she threw it one-handed to him.

"Preventative measure," he explained, glancing at her briefly as he opened up the back of the phone and extracted the battery and SIM card from it. "She won't be able to track us this way."

He hadn't been granted the privilege of having Spencer to himself for months, and he didn't want anyone, especially Mona, tainting their time together. He could see from the way Spencer quirked her mouth in that adorable way of hers that she was obviously wondering how she hadn't thought of it first.

"Have you...have you done that before?" She asked, hovering around the entrance to the bathroom, clearly not wanting to discontinue their discussion.

"When I wanted to get some space from Mona, yes."

She nodded once before finally going inside the bathroom and closing the door with a quiet snap. Toby was grateful for the temporary respite Spencer's exit granted him as he slowly eased his jacket and shirt off and tossed them carelessly on the floor in front of the bed. Privacy was a rare commodity nowadays and he would take whatever small portion he could take.

Toby still couldn't believe the reprieve he had been granted as he righted himself to a sitting position, facing the bathroom, as he waited for her to come out. The small bangs and the sound of water running, told him that she wasn't quite through getting ready yet.

He tried to ignore the voices whispering menacingly in his head that he didn't deserve to have her back, that what he had done was too heinous to be forgiven. And while he agreed that he didn't deserve it, he wasn't going to argue against it, and that's why when the bathroom door opened and she stepped out, wearing his shirt and wearing the most serene smile on her face, all those thoughts disappeared from his head as she slowly stepped towards him.

His arms lifted of their own accord to receive her as she wasted no time in making up for lost time as her hands wound around his face, pulling him closer, and her lips found their destination. "I love you," he whispered, as they fell back against the mattress, his strong but loving arms wrapping around her gently as she ran her hand across whatever part of him she could reach in her position.

Even though it was motel room, even though they were on a bed that probably hundreds had slept on before, it didn't matter because for so long they had been deprived of each other's love, the location simply did not matter under the circumstances.

When her kisses became weaker in a show of her tiredness, he softly kissed the crown of her head and turned over on his side, pulling her gently against him and winding his arm around hers, interlocking their hands together as she drifted off to sleep, her soft snores filling the otherwise quiet space as cars outside rushed past their window.

And as he finally succumbed to the overpowering urge to sleep, his thoughts for the first time in months, were peaceful, still, just as the girl next to him was.


	3. Chapter 3

Spencer didn't keep records of things or lists to document her life. She used to keep a flower-covered journal when she was six, but she grew out of the habit by the time she hit her first awkward stages of puberty, and then her friends replaced what she would have written in her journal.

But every glorious second she had spent with Toby? If she still kept her journal, her night with Toby would have been described as "the best night of my life." And she wouldn't have been exaggerating. The two of them had been deprived of each others love for so long, that the time they spent in that room, was a makeup for all the time they had gone without each other.

Toby, he had been so incredibly gentle with her; treating her as if she was a feather, something to be treasured and treated with the utmost patience and respect. His hands had gently encased her body, his movements telling her almost as much as his words, how much he loved her and how sorry he was for the wrongs he had committed.

Spencer had no idea what time their kisses died down, or when her eyelids began to droop as a physical show of her exhaustion, but when Toby gently kissed the top of her head and wound his arm around her, she let her eyes close, content with the fact that when she woke the next morning, he would still be there.

Morning came too soon as far as Spencer was concerned. It had been nice, sleeping against Toby, feeling his body heat against hers, that she never wanted that moment to end. It was an impossibility, but she hoped that for once, fate would intervene and pause the moment she was in, extending it so that she didn't have to get up in the morning and sift through every single problem, most of them involving Red Coat, and figure out the magic cure, the solution.

The first indicator that she had finally returned to the waking world, was the unmistakable sound of cars rushing down the freeway outside their room and couples talking through the paper thin walls next to their room. But the other, more solid indicator was the rock-beat ringtone of Toby's cell phone.

He groaned, one indigo eye popping open as he searched blindly for the phone. "Mona," he whispered, his blue eyes connecting with Spencer's chocolate ones in that moment. "Hello?" He said, finally flipping the cover of the phone open after giving Spencer a look that firmly suggested he would rather be talking to anyone in the world than Mona Vanderwaal. "It's all set for tonight. Yes. What time are we—okay. Fine. Bye."

"What did she say?" Spencer asked, as she rubbed the last remaining evidence of sleep from her eyes as she sat up straighter in the bed. "About tonight?"

"We have to be at the lodge at nine, nine-thirty. What have you told the girls?"

"Just that my parents are planning a party to show everyone that I'm alright. They don't—they don't suspect anything." It still astounded her that, even though she was firmly in this to glean valuable information, that she could so quickly deliver her best friends right to the mouth of the enemy.

Toby nodded thoughtfully as he made the first move from the bed, going over to his paper bag and digging out some clothes to wear for the upcoming day. "You need to warn them about what's really going on. Tell them that you and I are on top of it, but that it's a trap."

"I know. What if Mona suspects something?"

Their entire cover would be blown to shreds if Mona suspected their intentions had skydived. It wasn't a pretty picture to imagine, not when Spencer thought of how the A team had started: with murder.

"We'll just have to play our parts well. Is there anyway you, the girls and I can meet up after school? Talk this through to make sure we're all on the same page?"

"Yeah, it should be no problem. Where should we meet?"

"The diner?"

"Yeah, that would work."

Spencer couldn't even think about going to school, couldn't imagine leaving Toby so soon after being reunited with him. She watched closely as he changed clothes, putting on his A Team uniform in preparation for the day ahead.

"What are you thinking about?" Toby asked, finally looking up and seeing the contemplative look gracing her face.

"Maybe skipping first period."

She was caught up in all her classes that skipping the first period would hardly make a dent in her stellar academic record.

"I like the sound of that."

"I do, too."

* * *

Their time together was short, too short. Most of it was spent planning the night to come, with Toby hacking into the lodge's website to research the layout of the land and also book a room for the fake event that Spencer had created. "How do you do that?" She asked, peering over his shoulder, watching as his fingers flew across the keyboard, seemingly of their own accord.

"Practice, and Mona."

"Are those two mutually exclusive?"

"Are you nervous?"

Spencer nodded. "What if she knows something is wrong? What if she picks up on the fact that we're plotting against her?"

"Then I'll cover you. If Mona makes one move toward you, I'll get you out."

It wasn't herself that she was worried about, but Toby. Red Coat may excuse her behavior if she caught on, but Toby's, she wouldn't. If they found out that Toby was working against them, Spencer knew it wouldn't just be a broken arm this time, but possibly a broken neck.

"I know," she whispered. "I like knowing you'll be there for me tonight."

In everything that was going wrong in her life, it seemed incomprehensible to her that something was finally going _right. _It pained her to have to say goodbye to Toby and leave him while she put up a brave front for Mona and anyone else that might be watching her. She wanted to shout from the rooftops that Toby had been on her side that whole time, that he had never stopped loving her.

"I'll see you this afternoon," Toby promised as he led Spencer out of the motel. "Text me when you and the girls are ready to meet up at the diner."

Spencer smiled softly. "Yes, sir."


	4. Chapter 4

Usually Spencer thrived under the demanding and hectic school schedule and the demands it placed on her life. But walking through those halls, pretending that everything was okay when it wasn't, was almost impossible for her. Especially when she knew _who _she would be seeing when the final bell rang and she, and the rest of the student body were let loose.

"Okay, anyone else not buying this big hero act that Toby's pulling?" Spencer distinctly heard Hanna say as she walked across the busy parking lot to meet the girls. Spencer thought they had been on her side, that they were just as enthused about Toby's return as she was.

"Something wrong?" Spencer blurted out, deciding not to ignore what she had heard like she normally would have. "Or are you just going to keep whispering behind my back?" She arched an eyebrow to Hanna who, for once, seemed lost on words.

"I'm sorry," Hanna said bluntly, squaring her shoulders as if she was readying herself for battle. "I need more proof that Toby's been doing what he says he's been doing. You can't expect us to believe that after all this, he's supposed to be Mr. Moral Compass."

Spencer would never admit it, even to the girls, but it hurt that her friends didn't just not trust Toby, they didn't trust _her _and her judgment. Spencer knew it wouldn't be easy for the girls to accept him back into their circle, not after everything they had seen, but it still stung to realize that her fears were actually coming to fruition.

"Do all of you think that?"

"I never doubted him," Emily said. "I always knew there had to be another reason for what was happening."

"Aria?"

For some reason, Aria's opinion mattered to her the most. Maybe it was the crippling feelings of guilt that she felt for her role in Aria and Ezra's breakup, or maybe it was the fact that she had joined the enemy's game at all.

"I...think that we owe Toby the benefit of the doubt. Guys, look, A has made people look _extremely _guilty in the past, and we fell for it _exactly _like A wanted us to." Aria shook her head in disbelief, as if rehashing all that had happened to their loved ones. "And Caleb," her eyes shifted to Hanna's. "He dived right into A's ocean to put a stop to this. Lucas was blackmailed by Mona to do things for Red Coat. Why is Toby any different?"

"Okay, did Toby ever explain why he tried to _kill _you?" Hanna demanded, crossing her arms over her chest. "Remember the steam shower?"

"It wasn't _him_. He heard what Red Coat was planning and he _stopped _it," Spencer said. "He's the one that sent you that text," she added, looking at Aria.

"Toby did that?" Aria asked quietly, shifting her eyes over to Hanna, as if challenging her to find fault with that.

"Yeah. You don't have to go," Spencer said, looking at Hanna. "You're not obligated to go."

"No. I want to go."

* * *

The car ride into Philly to meet Toby at the diner, was tense. Hanna refrained from talking unless she was directly spoken to. Spencer didn't argue her silence. She was still bothered by Hanna's outburst about Toby and her trust in him.

"Why did you choose this place?" Emily asked, once they had pulled up alongside the curb in front of Marlene's Diner. The place looked different to Spencer in the daytime. The red, neon sign shut off and the place wasn't nearly as busy as it was when it was later in the evening.

"It's out of the way, hidden," Spencer replied as they walked inside. Spencer's eyes automatically scanned the people inside the diner, looking for Toby. She spotted him in a booth at the very back of the room. "Mona doesn't know about it."

She didn't wait for their response as she made a straight beeline to the back of the diner where Toby was seated. Being away from him just for the second half of the school period, was hard. She wished that she was meeting up with him alone, but it was also essential they came up with a solid plan together and stuck with it.

"Hey," she smiled, leaning down briefly to capture his lips in a kiss before regretfully pulling away as the other girls approached. "How have you been today? Have you talked to Mona?" She lowered her voice, the fear of being spied on was always a great concern of all of theirs.

Toby nodded as he scooted over so Spencer could take a seat beside him. "I did. We have to be at the lodge around eight-thirty or so."

"Anything about Red Coat?"

"Nothing. She didn't tell me anything."

"Hey, Toby," Aria and Emily said, as they took their seats across from him and Spencer. Hanna, Spencer noticed, stayed silent. Her silence was noticeable and awkward, but Spencer tried her best to ignore it.

"Hey," he smiled once. "How have you been, Em?"

Emily shrugged as she took a sip of the water the waitress had placed in front of her. "You know. So-so. I had a swim meet this morning, it was okay. I was a _little _off my time."

Aria scoffed. "Oh, please. You attacked that water like a shark-"

"Does Mona know we're here?" Hanna interjected, as if she was getting tired of the small talk and wanted to get right down to why they were there in the first place. She ignored the look of warning that Spencer shot her way.

"Why would I tell Mona anything about this?" Toby asked, sounding genuinely confused as to why Hanna would think he would reveal their plan.

"Why did you do half the things you did?"

"Hanna!" Aria said sharply at the same time that Hanna roughly kicked her under the table.

"No, I'm sorry, but I need more," Hanna shot back. "If you were doing this to protect her, why not just tell her that when she found you in her kitchen?"

"Because of Red Coat, Hanna!" Spencer spat out through gritted teeth, clearly incensed that her best friend was acting the way she was. "If she found out that Toby was anything other than her loyal little follower, she would have probably killed both of us!"

"Anyway," Emily said forcibly. "What's the plan for tonight? What time do we have to be at the lodge?"

"Spencer and I have to be there at around nine, nine-thirty," Toby said. "We want you there, but we _don't _want Red Coat seeing any of you," his eyes locked with each of their faces.

"So how do we do that?" Hanna shot out skeptically. "Be invisible?"

Toby shook his head, pulling out images of the lodge and the surrounding areas. "On the left side of the building, there are some grab bars that lead up to a window on the second floor. It looks out over the area where we'll be."

"So you want us to just observe?" Emily asked, making sure she heard right.

Toby nodded. "Yes. Red Coat and Mona can't know that you girls won't be there, they have to believe for as long as possible that Spencer and I have lured you guys into a trap."

"What time should we be there?" Aria asked.

"A little after ten," Spencer said. "I'll give us time to set up and make sure everything is okay with Mona. If anything changes, I'll text one of you."

* * *

Spencer decided to stay with Toby the rest of the afternoon. After she and Toby said goodbye to the girls, they went back to their hideout at the motel, making sure they weren't being followed first.

"I'm sorry about Hanna," Spencer said, shaking her head in astonishment at her friend's behavior. "I supported her when she had her breakup with Caleb, and she can't do the same for me."

Toby shook his head, sinking his body down onto the bed. "Don't be sorry. She's right, Spence. I _wanted _to tell you the truth, what I was doing, but I couldn't-" his blue eyes averted their gaze from Spencer, dropping down to the ground in shame.

"Hey, hey, I _know _that," Spencer said, lying down next to him on the bed. "She'll come around, she always does. It will just take her some time. She doesn't forget betrayals that easily."

Toby was silent for several moments. His indigo eyes peering up into the ceiling as if he was wishing to burn a hole into it with the power of his gaze. "And what about you?" He finally asked, turning his head to capture her gaze.

"I already gave you my answer," she replied softly as she adjusted her position so her lips were in perfect striking distance of Toby's. It felt good, it felt _right _to pick up where they left off the night before. His kisses were still gentle, still unsure as if he couldn't quite believe the miracle that was before him.

"I love you," he whispered, his voice lowering imperceptibly as he softly brushed her hair back from her face and tucking it behind her ear.

"I love you too," she replied, before ducking her head to kiss along Toby's collarbone. They had a few hours before they had to go meet Mona, and she intended to enjoy every single second of it.


	5. Chapter 5

"Are you sure you're okay?"

"I'm fine."

Even though Spencer's words were meant to reassure Toby, she felt anything _but _reassured as she and Toby drove down the darkened highway on their way to Thornhill Lodge. It was exhilarating, and also terrifying to imagine that possibly, within hours, they would be meeting Red Coat and finally figuring out who she was and _why _she was so keen on torturing Spencer and her friends.

"I'm on your side...if anything happens."

"I know." She took a moment to collect her breath, focusing on the simple task of _breathing_ as the thought of everything coming to a conclusion, stormed through her mind like the worst possible hurricane. "I feel safer knowing that."

Even through all the doubt that was encasing her mind like a never-ending nightmare, it was comforting that she had one person, one tangible thing she could count on and that was Toby's never ceasing loyalty and protectiveness over her.

She closed her eyes, feeling the gentle, soothing touch of Toby's hand on hers as they pulled into the concealed driveway of Thornhill Lodge. It was a clever meeting spot, out of the way, hidden from any uninvited guests and the perfect spot for Red Coat to slip in and out if needed.

"You're late," Mona noted when the two of them walked hand-in-hand through the rustic lodge and into the private room the two of them had booked for that occasion. "Where are the others?"

"They'll be here," Spencer answered, casting an infinitesimal glance at Toby as she spoke. "Soon."

It didn't take a rocket scientist to know that Mona was nervous. Even though her cold, stubborn mind would _never _admit it. Spencer knew that she and Toby could never verbally express how tense, how nervous _they_ were, but just their touches to each other alone, signified their unity in that moment and the reformed bond between them.

"Call them," Mona snapped, stationing herself in one of the plush sitting chairs in the room. "Unless you want _her _to come and see that there's only you here, and we're missing the rest of the Scooby gang."

Spencer could feel her heart hammering painfully somewhere in the region of her ribcage as she fished her cell phone out of her pocket, dawdling with it as she considered her next course of action.

"Hey," Toby whispered, winding an arm around her waist. "It's okay. The girls are smart, they know what they're doing."

Spencer nodded, trying as hard as she could to take comfort in his words and the simple power of _breathing _as she texted Aria's number. It didn't take long for her reply to highlight the screen. "They're running late."

"How late?"

Spencer distracted herself from thinking up a satisfactory answer for Mona, by briefly connecting her lips with Toby's, pulling him close against her. She could feel Mona's eyes burning a hole into her back, but she ignored it for the time being.

"They're on their way," she said, finally breaking apart from Toby and glancing over her shoulder at the petite girl behind her. "That's all I know."

"You have no idea what she's capable of, Spencer. You don't want to disappoint her."

"I saw them getting ready, and I have the video you asked for," Toby said, saving Spencer the task of responding to the psychotic woman before them. "They don't suspect anything."

It amazed Spencer that Toby could _be _and _sound _so calm when they were tricking Mona (and Red Coat) right under their noses, without any of them suspecting anything.

"Are you sure?"

"Yes. Spencer gave them the invitations to the party, I saw them earlier getting ready for it."

Even though she knew it would be near impossible to hear what was going on outside, Spencer found herself straining her ears for any sound that signified the girls had arrived. The plan was rock solid, but if anyone knew how quickly plans could fall apart, it would be Spencer.

Pacing had always been a great friend to Spencer in times of stress, and this time was no different as her feet moved seemingly of their own accord as she wore a path into the dark wood flooring, her hands twisting around each other in a show of her anxiety.

"Spencer," Toby whispered, gently wrapping his hand around her arm and pulling her down to sit with him on the couch. "Relax, baby, it's going to be fine."

"I know," Spencer whispered, barely even speaking for fear of Mona overhearing them in some way. "Thank you." Her hand found his and she clasped it comfortingly, drawing strength from it as they both fought to keep the act they had so carefully devised.

"When did you tell the others to be here?" Mona asked, taking that time to interrupt the silence that Spencer had been trying to bask in, even if only for a short time.

"I told them to be here now."

"They might have run into some complications," Toby said. "We'll give them another half hour."

"And if _she _shows up?"

"Then we'll deal with it," Spencer said.

"You-" whatever Mona was about to say, was cut off by the one tine beep her cell phone made, letting her know someone was calling in. She eyed them with the same cold, but highly suspicious look she'd been regarding them with all evening, before answering the call.

"Hello? Yes. They're all here." Mona had turned away from Spencer and Toby and was now looking out the one window that was in the room, undoubtedly looking for the missing girls herself.

"Toby?" Spencer whispered, her heart hammering painfully as she realized who Mona was talking to. "Is that?"

He nodded, his mouth pressing into a tight line. "Yes."

"It's all according to plan. How far away are you? It's safe for you to land. It's finally about to end." Spencer was fighting a losing battle to keep a check on her emotions as, unwillingly, her mind ran through every single act Red Coat had committed against them, and how she had been responsible for the murder of her best friend.

The only comfort she felt in that moment, was the knowledge that if anything went south, Toby would be right there to back her up, and lead her to safety. She sucked in a deep breath, trying to garner strength from that simple fact.

"You're finally getting what you always wanted."

_Four liars under one roof_, Spencer thought with barely suppressed disgust. _"She _is _getting what she's always wanted._

Spencer watched as either Mona or Red Coat ended the call. It had barely lasted three minutes, but to Spencer, it had lasted an eternity as she listened to those bone-chilling words that Mona had spoken to Red Coat.

"She doesn't know the _others _aren't here yet."

"I told you they're coming."

Something was wrong, Spencer could practically feel it throbbing in her veins as she studied Mona. She knew that Mona was becoming suspicious of her, of her motives and whether or not she had _really _lured the girls into their trap. Spencer didn't know what Mona was capable of, as far as murder was concerned, but she wasn't keen on finding that out.

"Why don't we go for a walk while we wait?" Mona suggested, her voice thick with the implications of what that "walk" really meant. Spencer knew she shouldn't have been so surprised at what Mona was going to do, but she couldn't help connect the face of the girl she had known to be Hanna's best friend, to the girl who was now willing to hurt her for Red Coat's sake.

"I'll take care of Spencer," Toby said, disconnecting his hand from Spencer's and forcefully standing up.

"Toby?" Spencer said, looking up at him with doe eyes as her boyfriend towered over her, his hand outstretched for her to take.

"I know how you feel, Spencer," Mona said. "It _sucks _to be lied to."

"Get up."

"I _believed _you," Spencer said, injecting as much conviction and outrage into her voice as she could muster in that moment. It had to be perfect for it to go off the way they wanted it to.

"I said _get up_!" The amount of anger that he inserted in his voice was enough to scare even Spencer, but Mona smirked at him, as if she assumed they were in on some big coup to fool Spencer again, make her believe her savior had returned, only to betray her again.

How wrong she was.

Toby reached down, yanking Spencer up from the couch. Even though his movements were harsh, Spencer noticed that his touch was also gentle, careful, as if he was concerned about hurting her accidentally.

"You won't get away with this," Spencer vowed as she silently struggled against Toby's unbreakable grasp.

"I'd say 'watch me' but you won't be here to see it," Mona replied, her voice as cold and piercing as ice as she watched Toby lead Spencer out of the room. Unaware, that three other faces were only a floor above her, watching every single thing that went on in the room.

* * *

The rest of the night had gone even further downhill from there. The discovery of Red Coat, and who she was and the discovery of the body in the cop car. It was all too much for Spence to process as she parked her car outside the loft, finding a miniscule amount of peace and calm as she climbed the rickety steps.

"Spencer!" Toby met her halfway as she opened the door. "Are you okay?"

She shook her head, barely holding back the tears that had become a permanent resident of her being the last several months. "No," she admitted, her voice breaking as Toby wrapped his arms around her, pulling her close as she inhaled the comforting scent of his cologne.

"The cops are saying that Wilden was murdered?"

Spencer nodded. "Yeah. We got one rid of nightmare, and get introduced to another one."

"Are you sure it was _Alison _that you saw?"

Spencer nodded, fighting back the roll of nausea that trickled into her veins like molten lava. "It was-it was her, Toby. She's the one that's in charge." To think that her best friend had been the one to pull all those horrible things on them, and had made their lives a living hell the last two years, had been a sobering, stunning and terrifying thought.

_She loved to play games. Wasn't that her favorite sport?_

Aria's voice rang through her head. It was true: Alison loved keeping them on the edges of their seats, keeping them in check with her cryptic messages and half-truths. But would Alison actually be so cunning and twisted that she would pull off the ultimate _game _and fake her death _just _for the sole purpose of playing with her friends'?

"How did she fool everyone?"

"She-she could have blackmailed the medical examiner into releasing false information, but what about her body? They _found _her body, Toby!"

Dissecting every detail of her supposed death, theorizing about it, it was making Spencer's already crowded head ache. It wasn't enough that the cop who had been making their lives a daily circus, was dead. Now, she also possibly had to deal with the fact that her best friend might be alive, and running the hell show that had been in production for two years.

"Hey," Toby said softly, gazing down at her with the most loving expression on his face as he tilted Spencer's chin up gently with his index finger. "All these big questions? Right now, let's just enjoy the time that we have right now and let these big questions resolve themselves another time."

"But-"

"Spencer."

She sighed, smiling softly. "Okay, sir."

She had no idea what the coming days, weeks and months would bring. She had no idea if Alison was really alive, or if it was just a freaky coincidence, and she had no idea what other tricks A would come up with in their arsenal, but she knew as long as she had that boy next to her, with his rough, bruised hands and a soul as pure as the sunset, she would be okay.

* * *

**This is the last chapter. Thank you so much for all the reviews and follows/favorites that you guys gave me. Also, thank you to my beta, the queen of slurking for all her help in updating old chapters and helping me with new ones. You rock!**


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